Darin Croft
I am grateful to be considered for the position of Secretary of the SVP and look forward to serving if elected. I have been a society member since 1994 and a regular annual meeting attendee since 1997. I have served the SVP in a variety of roles over the past 20 years including: member of the Information Management Committee (2004-2011); JVP Associate Editor (2005-2010); Chair of the Annual Meeting Host Committee (2008); Chair of the Media Liaison Committee (2008-2013); member of the Communications Committee (2013-2017); member of the Program Committee (2014-2018); and member of the JVP Memoir Evaluation Committee (2018-present).
I currently am a Professor of Anatomy in the School of Medicine (SOM) at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio) and Director of our pre-professional MS in Applied Anatomy program. My research focuses on evolution and paleoecology of Cenozoic mammals of South America. I have an extensive publication record including 90+ journal articles and book chapters, a co-edited volume on reconstructing ancient terrestrial ecosystems, and a popular science book on the fossil mammals of South America. My research and outreach has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, and I have served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Mammalian Evolution since 2021.
I have developed significant leadership, organizational, and communication skills through variety of roles in my department, school, and university. Some of these include: Chair of the Science Cafe Cleveland Organizing Committee (2006-2010), Chair of the SOM Bylaws Committee (2018-2021), Faculty Senate Representative from the SOM (2020-2023), and Chair of the SOM Faculty Council (2022-2023). I feel I am well-qualified to carry out the specific duties of Secretary of the society as well as the more general responsibilities of contributing to Executive Committee deliberations and serving as a committee liaison. I am organized and detail-oriented, attributes that are essential for an effective society secretary.
I support having diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments and have worked where I can to foster such environments; for example, our department’s last MS class was 67% female, 28% international, and 45% non-white, and the editorial team (Editorial Board and Associate Editors) of the Journal of Mammalian Evolution are 48% female and 60% from outside the US. I have developed strong relationships with many colleagues throughout Latin America though my fieldwork, collections-based research, and participation in undergraduate and graduate training. I am a long-time member of the Asociación Paleontológica Argentina and the Asociación Paleontológica de Chile as well as Docente Externo of the Facultad de Ciencias of the Universidad Austral de Chile. If elected, a priority would be to work to increase participation of students and colleagues from Latin America as well as the visibility of the SVP throughout the Americas.